Engaged in a diverse career as a performer and music advocate, bassoonist Avery Dabe is currently completing his Master’s degree at The Eastman School of Music, where he studies with George Sakakeeny. A dedicated orchestral musician, Avery has recently performed with the Syracuse Orchestra, the Binghamton Philharmonic, and the West Virginia Symphony. Previously, Avery freelanced extensively with the major regional orchestras of the Carolinas. He has also appeared frequently as a member of the Eastman Philharmonia and Eastman Wind Ensemble. Equally passionate about chamber music, Avery has performed a vast assortment of repertoire in venues ranging from the Kennedy Center to the swamps of Congaree National Park.

During the summer months, Avery has performed in orchestral and chamber music festivals such as the Sarasota Music Festival, the National Music Festival, Contemporary Bassoon Institute, and the Brevard Music Center. At the Brevard Music Center, he served as a teaching assistant for the Brevard High School Orchestral Institute. Other engagements include performances at the Highland Bowl, Corning Museum of Glass, Greenville Peace Center, Rochester City Hall, and Adkins Arboretum.

Avery was previously an instructor for the South Carolina Bassoons In Schools Initiative, a state-funded program aimed at bringing bassoon playing back into underserved schools and communities. At Eastman, Avery serves as a bassoon teaching assistant and is on faculty at the Eastman Community Music School.

Avery is the designer and caretaker of Heckeldex©, a bassoon encyclopedia widely regarded as the world’s most comprehensive database of Heckel bassoons. Its release was published in the journal of the International Double Reed Society. In addition to maintaining Heckeldex, Avery enjoys writing and publishing articles on notable bassoon pedagogues.

Originally from Boulder, Colorado, Avery is a first-generation musician who began learning bassoon with no prior musical training at the age of 11. He received his formative musical training in the South Carolina Youth Philharmonic and was awarded the Cornelia Freeman Prize for outstanding musicianship. Avery earned his bachelor’s degree in bassoon from the University of South Carolina, studying with Mike Harley.